Framing the introduction and the conclusion of an essay does not seem very difficult as they usually contain some generalized ideas about the topic. But, when it comes to the body paragraph of the essay, we tend to get confused about what to write and what not.
Now, essay writing is one of the most essential parts of academic courses that you simply cannot stay away from. In addition to that, if you are associated with the fields like media, journalism, research works, content production, and development etc, it is very likely that you are required to possess a good command over the basic skills of essay writing. With the intention of helping you in how to write a body paragraph for your essay, we are providing you with some of the useful tips regarding this topic:
Go by the sequence
Have you already discussed the abstract or the main focus of your essay in the introduction? If so, then, by keeping in line with the introduction, enter the main topic in the subsequent paragraph. Knowing how to begin the first paragraph after the introduction is of great importance while you are taking the notes on how to write a body paragraph.
The introduction portion or the abstract of the easy generally comprises of some indiscriminate notions which are loosely connected to the main topic. Now, it is absolutely not desired that in the next paragraph as well, the author will make a mere continuation of the introduction.
For example, if you have been asked to prepare an essay on the top five holiday destinations in the world, you can begin the essay by stating how thrilling it is to have some break amid the monotonous daily routine. But, the same tone should not reverberate in the next paragraphs as your readers are by now interested in knowing the core subjects. Maintain the following order to avoid confusion:
- Give a generalized idea of your topic
- If possible, try to provide a definition of your topic in a tone that would not sound too academic
- State clearly the purpose of your essay in the abstract
- Move on to the main topic
Analyze the topic critically here
If you are preparing an essay on some literary or scholarly topic, you are required to explain the topic in the body paragraphs. Since you are taking the matter of how to write a body paragraph seriously, do not skip a good deal of hard work and enormous reading for framing this section.
Develop your critical thinking ability and take the help of relevant articles in order to strengthen this portion of your essay.
For instance, if you are writing an analytical review of Edward Said’s Orientalism, you may explain the crux of the book by drawing suitable examples from different literary texts. Or, if you are writing a treatise on the theme of the Oedipal complex in Sons and Lovers by D H Lawrence, you may stretch the matter further by adding a description of the way this concept of the Oedipal complex is described by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in their book Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia.
Making clever use of allusions and quotations
The body paragraph of the essay is the section where you are allowed to show your erudition freely. In most cases, it is instructed not to insert any lengthy quotation in the introduction and the conclusion portion.
While you are gathering the details of how to write a body paragraph efficiently, you need to keep this point in your mind. The books you have read on the related topic or the articles you have referred to should be discussed here.
You may also draw the allusions of similar texts or phenomena, like, giving the examples of similarities between the works of the same author. For this section, these are your important tips to remember:
- Make allusions and give quotations only from the texts you have read
- State the source of your quotations properly
- Stay away from any kind of plagiarism
- Understand where the use of quotations and/or allusions will be appropriate
- Avoid the overuse of these things as that may make your article seem clumsy
Making things clear without leaving anything
Always remember that your readers will pay focus on the body paragraph in order to understand what you have to say through the essay. That is why stuffing your essay only with erudite quotations and presenting only some vague, far-fetched ideas would not suffice. It is one of the significant steps of how to write a body paragraph that you know how to make the things clear in your own, simple language. And for doing so, you need to write down the thoughts going inside your brain regarding the topic of your essay. Remember the following tips regarding this point:
- Avoid using flowery language all the time; try to explain things in lucid and simple language instead
- Do not make use of quotations where it is not necessarily required
- Try to draw simple examples from the familiar world
- Keep the fact in your mind that for what type of readers you are preparing the essay
- If the essay is being written for academic purposes, it is better to seek advice from your supervisors or the seniors
- Address all the things uniformly that you have mentioned in the introduction or the abstract of your essay; leaving even a trivial item will show your lack of care and tactfulness
These are the things that you generally have to remember while you are collecting information on how to write a body paragraph of an essay. Remember that developing a habit of reading and writing regularly will not go in vain and you will be able to see the wonders it can do while you start thinking about how to write a body paragraph of an essay. So, have confidence in your own abilities, gather all your thoughts together, and start composing your essay. You are surely going to receive huge applause for your article!